This Serum Made Me So Glowy I Stopped Wearing Makeup

I don’t believe in automatic refills except when it comes to prescriptions and toilet paper. I’ve seen it as a purchase option for skin care before (“Click here to get this moisturizer automatically replenished every six months!”) and rolled my eyes. There’s no single product I’m so enamored with that a fresh bottle needs to arrive at my doorstep on cue.

But back in the winter, I took a meeting with April Gargiulo, the founder of Vintner’s Daughter, that changed my mind. I’m used to brands presenting me with an army of lotions, potions, and creams, lining them up before me like soldiers in the fight against lackluster skin. But April came with just one lone product: Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum ($185; net-a-porter.com). I think you can tell where this is going, but before I extol its virtues, a little background: April started her brand out of necessity after she realized all her favorite products were loaded with toxins. So she channeled the ingredient expertise she gleaned from her family’s wine-making business into creating a super serum filled with 22 of the most active nutrients in the world, all of which are derived from whole plants, not extracts.

So, the serum. It’s incredible and skin-changing. After one application, I was intrigued (the texture is silky; the smell is herbal but sweet) and after three, I was sure I couldn’t live without it. My skin responded to this stuff like no other skin-care product I’ve tried. My usual dark spots became somehow more even-toned; the deep hollows under my eyes were visibly more shallow. Not to toot my own horn, but I was glowing — so much so that in the days following, I stopped wearing foundation completely. Though I’m not quite at the stage where I’m worried about fine lines and wrinkles, April says the blend eases signs of aging, too. And since she’s the brains behind this magical potion, I’m inclined to believe her.

All this to say I’ve officially eaten my words: Vintner’s Daughter has a recurring shipment option on their website, and you can bet I’m signing up.